Developing a WITT prototype which will harvest wave energy from all six degrees of motion for deployment and testing in marine buoy and small vessel applications

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Sea waves are a renewable resource comprising 70% of the planet. But converting sea wavemotion into electrical energy is challenging, in part due to the relatively low speeds andirregular movements of ocean waves.WITT Ltd (WL) has devised a technological innovation in energy generation called the WITTthat has the capability to harness wave energy. The innovation concerns a patentedtransmission system that converts mechanical motion in the full six degrees,up and down,back and forth, side to side, into a single unidirectional rotation used to drive an efficientgenerator for the production of electricity. No other transmission is capable of collecting allof this chaotic motion and turning it into useable power. WITTs can be scaled to any size andfitted within different enclosures dependent on the application. Sealed unit operation ispotentially maintenance free and suitable for marine environments. It can also be built fromtried and tested industry components. For this reason the WITT provides a far morecompelling marine energy harvesting device than is currently available.This project will create a prototype unit capable of delivering 15 watts for use both in marinebuoys and small boats where naturally occurring motional energy can be converted intousable power. Many marine buoys require electrical power for instrumentation and lightingdevices. Solar PV is often used but has daylight use limitations and requires extensive batterysupport. Small marine vessels, yachts, motor boats, etc also can use of solar PV with thesame limitations. Small wind turbines are also used but are noisy and only work in windyconditions. Otherwise electricity is sourced from diesel power.This project will demonstrate WITTs in marine buoy and small vessel use to show itscompelling energy harvesting capability and will demonstrate the cost and environmentalsavings than can be achieved by generating electricity from a WITT compared to diesel for allsmall vessels.